What Great Teachers Do Differently

What Great Teachers Do Differently

Over the next couple weeks we will take a look at the book "What Great Teachers Do Differently" by Todd Whitaker.  We will highlight the 17 things Whitaker says great teachers do differently.  The book is a quick read and I highly recommend it for any teacher, new and veteran.  Todd Whitaker will be our keynote speaker on the April 13 MRVED Common Day.

The first of the 17 things great teachers do differently is, "Great teachers never forget that it's people, not programs, that determine the quality of a school".

If you have been in education long enough, you certainly have seen the "magic bullet" come and go.  Schools have invested copious amounts of time, energy, and money into programs to improve scores and help students.  When in reality, it's the people who carry out the programs that initially are the driving force behind success.  A great example Whitaker talks about is a discipline policy.  A principal can bring in a discipline policy, say...a student misbehaves and their name is written on the board and every subsequent misbehavior a check mark goes behind their name.  A principal can do walkthroughs and one teacher could have a dozen names on the board with 3 or 4 check marks next to each name.  The principal can then walk into another room, and there are no names on the board and things are orderly and students are on task...what's the difference?  It's not the discipline policy, that made the difference, it is the teacher and classroom management that is the difference.  "People, not programs determine the quality of a school."

This maybe is a given when talking about school improvement, but it needs to be stated.  People truly are our greatest asset in any school, whether it be teachers, support staff, administration, coaches, etc...  Invest in great people and great things will happen!